Hctz symptoms and conditions

i have been on lisinopril 10 mg hctz for about a year now, bp is good averages now with the med 120/73, i do get the cough sometimes, also tightness in the throat, but the scary part now is i have been losing my hair rapidly in spots, one in the middle of the head and on the back of the head. I am 50, fair head of hair, my barber said i might have alopecia, but i wonder if it is the drug causing this, i see a dermatologist on dec 10th, anyone else losing hair in patches?

That's it!! I have had it. A couple of years ago, Dr prescribed Lisinopril HCTZ for my high blood pressure. 6 months later, 'Hey your cholesterol is really high.' So she prescribed Crestor. Then 6 months later, 'Oh Crestor can cause liver damage, we'll need to check your liver.' I know doctors mean well, but they seem to all be trained to simply prescribe a pill. The average senior citizen takes 12. Daily! I have had it. I refuse to take the lisinopril any more. Last night: zero sleep due to the cough. Hacking and coughing, trying to 'hock-up' the crap draining down my throat. The wheezing at the top of my bronchial tubes. Unable to inhale enough air to cough. Peeing in my pants. Disturbing everyone else in the house. This is just bullsh--. Hey, how about another tip: Did you know the HCTZ can cause artificial inflation in your cholesterol numbers?? Guess what: after switching 5 months ago to the lisinopril plain, not with the HCTZ... you got it cholesterol went down. Down by 80 points, too! I made no other change during that time, not in my diet, exercise or anything else. So effective today: (1) No lisinopril (I'll check my BP daily), (2) increase my Kelp and selenium for my thyroid, (3) stick on my insulin-resistant diet, (4) reduce my caffeine intake. I'll keep this site posted on my progress.

I have been taking Lisinopril HCTZ for two weeks and experienced no side effects except one which concerns me. At this point I am not sure if it was caused by Lisinopril and would like to hear if others had something similar. I am 72 and in good condition and several weeks ago went up a mountain near Boulder. I managed quite well. At that point I had not taken any medication for two weeks having run out of Benicar HCT. A few days after starting Lisinpril I went up a mountain again and this time I was dragging my heels and my wife had to frequently wait for me. If this happens again I will dump Lisinopril and try to manage without b/p pills. If I can't I will return to Benicar but I deeply re resent the Benicar company's price gouging because they have Benicar on patent. Benicar costs 40 times more per pill than Lisinopril.

ok, i have been on lisinopril 10mg hctz for about a year now. sometimes i feel the cough, sometimes my throat fells tight , but one thing that scared the hell out of me just in the last few weeks was a sudden bald spot on the top of my head, granted i am 50, but i have a reasonable head of hair, i also, to my surprise found a little bald spot usually where a man does not go bald down toward the back of the head. I just walked by my haircut lady to ask her if i had this bald spot two months ago and she said no way and to hurry and see a dermatologist, i am truly thinking its this dam drug, anyone else experience sudden hair loss in strange places on the head? thanks.

Folks, I was on this standard diuretic for about 6 years or so. For a very long time, I did not think it was causing any significant side effects (other than having to pee a lot). I was wrong. It gave me type II diabetes.

If you ask MOST doctors and nurses about this, they will deny it strenuously. As one very good PA told me, "diuretics are our first line of defense." An RN just two weeks ago thought I was crazy to blame my diabetes on it.

But it is not my imagination. The ALLHAT study -- which, if you cite, will cause most docs and nurses to shut up right fast -- is one of the most famous studies out there. It was huge, and its authors became strong proponents of diuretics. But the same study found that if you take HCTZ for five years, you have about a 12.6% chance of developing diabetes (versus perhaps a 1 to 2% chance otherwise). I am so angry about this because no one warned me. No one told me this, so I could never make an informed decision about taking this medication. Now I will be fighting diabetes for the rest of my life!

I haven't looked at the insert for HCTZ in a long time, so for all I know they're now finally listing blood sugar issues. But they said nothing when I started in 2002, and no one bothered monitoring by blood sugar either. Even when we finally noticed the glucose readings going up, no one said, "Oh, we should take you off that diuretic."

If you do some googling, you'll discover that there are a (minority) of doctors out there who are also very concerned about this. They argue a lot at forums for doctors. This business about diabetes IS a known side-effect. It's just, as I said, that too few doctors seem to be aware of it, or if they are, seem to feel the need to inform their patients before prescribing it.

Was prescribed HCTZ and started taking it off and on in early August. Pain in the butt cutting the pills in half. Started to feel weird feeling in my left ear and cheek and then numbness spreading up my face, forehead and scalp.(I did have a few beers the weekend before this happened) Took myself to ER. MRI, CT, full blood work, thyroid check, EKG, heart and lung xray. ALL PERFECTLY NORMAL. Of course I was diagnosed with possible MS, Belle's Palsy, and was told I might just be wired weird.

Went to primary the following day for follow up and was told that my blood pressure may have been the cause of the episode. Prescribed Lisinopril and started taking it immediately 10/12.5. Started feeling good pretty quick, but noticed a few crazy dreams and almost like I was falling.

Missed a few doses and and had a few beers over the labor day weekend. Started meds on Monday but started feeling pins and needles coming back in different parts of my body. Continued to take meds and then went camping. Had a few beers around the fire. Woke up next morning with slight case of Vertigo. Continued with meds through the weekend and have felt dizzy, dumb, tired, my eyes don't move correctly, my left arm has felt numb and swollen, my left cheek tingles and I feel so swollen in my gland area under my ears. Knee pain too.

I didn't take a dose today, and I feel 100% better. Still tingly and numb in spots, but better. A little anxious and my heart feels like it's beating really deep and fast. BP is 154/82 after going down quite a bit on the drug.

Anyone else had trouble with the alcohol? Any similar symptoms? This site has calmed me down as I've always been a worrier/hypocondriac type. any response or idea would be really appreciated. Thanks everyone...good luck!

I have been on Lisinopril Hctz for 7 years and have started getting numb feet and hands. Also, muscle weakness...I feel like I have 50 pound weights attached to my legs and have trouble walking. Nerve conduction tests are fine, also, blood work came back normal. Next step is the neurologist a month from now but I am going to stop taking the Lisinopril and see what happens.

I am 55 years old and began taking Lisinopril HCTZ in September of 2008. My blood pressure was 224 over 124. I was at stroke level. I have headaches, dizziness, tingling in my arms, and a chest pain that has gotten worse in the last 4 months since taking this medication. The chest pain was so severe I thought I was having a heart attack. I rushed myself to the Emergency room at the hospital. No signs of an heart attack. After my experience from severe dizziness and chest pain on yesterday, I decided this medication was going to kill me before high blood pressure does. Today I found other means to lower my blood pressure and they worked. This medication has too many side effects.

I am 48 years old and have been on Lisinop/HCTZ for about 6 weeks. From the onset of taking this medicine I have experienced swelling in my legs -- from knees to ankles. Also my stomach has swelled. Now I am experiencing muscle cramps in my legs that are bothersome when I stand up or lie in bed. I never had this on my other BP meds, but my doctor switched me to Lisinop?HCTZ. The doctor thinks it could be my heart, lungs, or kidneys causing the swelling.
HELLO, take me off this stuff first!

I was taking Lisinopril and had severe leg cramps. I took myself off the drug. The doctor encouraged me to continue, but to cut the dose in half. This I did. I began to have sore legs at night which I attributed to being on my feet too much. Recently I took myself off Lisinopril and my sore legs vanished.

I just read many postings here regarding lisinopril/hctz and the sexual problems it had caused you. I'm a 26 year old male, just married, and am having major problems with my sex drive and erections as well. I've been to several andrologists and they all concluded that 'everything is fine' and that i shouldn't be having the problems i'm having (based on many blood tests of course). I actually used to have a very high sex drive and no problems at all with erections, but i started losing my sex drive slowly but surely a year ago when i started taking lisinopril/hctz. Few months later, my erection started getting weaker and weaker as well. Now, i almost have no sex life. I quit lisinopril/hctz just 3 weeks ago, and i THINK i'm experiencing better morning erections, but still my sex drive is abnormally low. Sometimes my wife gets offended. I may get an erection during foreplay, but the erection is usually short lived, since i have no sex drive in the first place. Could anyone please share with me their experience with quitting this poison, and please let me know if you recovered your sex drive/life. Many thanks,

I just read many postings here regarding lisinopril/hctz and the sexual problems it had caused you. I'm a 26 year old male, just married, and am having major problems with my sex drive and erections as well. I've been to several andrologists and they all concluded that 'everything is fine' and that i shouldn't be having the problems i'm having (based on many blood tests of course). I actually used to have a very high sex drive and no problems at all with erections, but i started losing my sex drive slowly but surely a year ago when i started taking lisinopril/hctz. Few months later, my erection started getting weaker and weaker as well. Now, i almost have no sex life.

I quit lisinopril/hctz just 3 weeks ago, and i THIINK i'm experiencing better morning erections, but still my sex drive is abnormally low. Sometimes my wife gets offended. I may get an erection during foreplay, but the erection is usually short lived, since i have no sex drive in the first place.

Could anyone please share with me their experience with quitting this poison, and please let me know if you recovered your sex drive/life.

Many thanks,

Wow, is all I can say. I just found this website this past Thursday morning before going to my Doctor. I am off it now and back on Diovan thanks to this forum. Here's my story... I switched from taking Diovan to Lisinopril-hctz about 3 months ago because it was way cheaper. I started getting a mild runny nose, and cough that didn't go a way.It was getting harder to sleep as the days went by. I tried sinus, allergy, cold, and cough medicine with nothing helping. I went to a different doctor at a local after hours clinic and they gave me a steroid shot for allergies. I have never had allergies all my life. I am 36 yrs old and work outside for a living. I knew something was wrong and started to get a little worried. I went back to see my main Doctor on May 5th and he switched me from Lisinopril-Hctz to 30mg of Lisinopril because I thought I was going to the bathroom more often. I questioned the side effects again and was told you just get a dry cough and what I had is allergies and gave me a prescription for Astelin. Not long after, my hell began. I started having the EXTREME coughing, gagging until you vomit, stuffy runny nose, and I was starting to get a little anxiety. Not to mentioned scared at this point. I could not sleep at night due to the coughing fits. I would sleep best after I had some drinks at night, so that became my sleep aid. I got a respiratory infection late May and took a Z-pack and Lohist 12d. I got a little better. This past Sat I woke up with a sore throat and something like a cold. Sunday morning I woke up with the sore throat that was worse and a panic attack! I was freaking out, pacing around wanting to go to the ER. It took 3 hrs to calm down and fell asleep. Sunday night anxiety kicked in again at bed time and I didn't know why. I just knew something was very wrong with me and mentally I was losing it. I took some melatonin and still couldn't sleep because of anxiety and coughing. Monday I was afraid of what was going on mentally and started to question if I was safe to be by myself if a bad panic attack occurs. I scheduled an appointment to see my doctor on Thursday. Hoping I could make it till then. Monday night I took a melatonin trying to stay calm and keep anxiety down. Could not sleep, bad coughing and gagging, but started to wind down about 1:30 am when it started. I was laying down making my ears pop/click and for some reason I could not make my right ear pop before my left ear. All the sudden anxiety kicked in full force. It took a long time to calm down that night. I finally did get my right ear popping before the left one. Its sounds funny but it wasn't at that time. It was official, I have lost my mind. I did not sleep at all wed night before my appointment. I did find this website that morning before going and felt better after reading other posts. After talking to him I switched back to Diovan. He still was leaning towards allergies though. He told me to take benadryl at night and claritin during the day and my coughing may take about 4 weeks to see improvements. I had my hopes ups on Thursday, but after reading a lot of posts here I am still discouraged about the outcome. For those of you that had anxiety attacks at night, how long before those stopped? Also how long before the coughing and gagging starts to slow down or end? Is there anybody that stopped taking Lisinopril, but symptoms have not improved? I am glad I found this forum and happy to be back on Diovan. Right now with the way I feel with the sore throat, coughing, gagging, vomiting, sinus pressure, anxiety, I am still unsure on the outcome and what may come next....

I was taking Nifediac CC 60mg for high blood pressure. I began having a bright red solid rash from my knees to my feet which itched, then the palms of my hands exhibited the same rash. Since we were on vacation, I went to an emergency room. The rash had faded, and the DR had no explanation for what I had. One week later, my arms and legs were swollen with huge hives. After hours, it meant another emergency room visit and this DR immediately took me off of Nifediac CC. The diagnosis was Hypersensitivity Vasculitis...an inflammation of the blood vessels. I've been off all medications with the exception of HCTZ. Interestingly enough...my blood pressure is within the normal range. Not sure what good Nifediac CC did for me except to make me sick.

I hate lisinopril. I have stomach pains like my bladder is full, coughing, dry hair and its falling out, sweating and tired. At the end of the day I need to take a quick nap and I guess the stomach pain and nausea is terrible. After reading all of this I'm coming off this medication. my bp is not that high nothing I can't control with a little more exercise. I'm so exhausted on lisinopril, it makes it hard to do anything. I'm going back to the hctz. This is ruining my life.

i am 30 yrs old and started taking lisinopril 20 mg along with 25 mg of hydrochlorothiazide about 6 weeks ago and then lisinopril was raised to 40 mg and i dont know whats worse the high blood pressure or the side affects that im getting,tired all the time,that damn cough,shortness of breathe,diarrhea,and nausea and a racing pulse that when i was watching tv went up to 135 and my insides just started to shake.im starting to get a little scared with my high pulse .if anyone else has the high pulse due to lisinopril p;ease let me know,thank you

I'm on Lisinopril-HCTZ and have been for not even a month and I'm having those coughing spells so desperately, that I almost pass out. I can't stop coughing all day and night, now another doctor says I have asthma, but I don't think I do. I think its the adverse effects of this medication. I can't eat because it feels as though my esophagus is closing up all the time, I've been living on soup mostly since I started these meds, otherwise I can't swallow. I have to get off this medication because its causing decreased lung capacity already and I've only been on it two weeks!

I have been on lisiniprol with hctz on 10mg dose since October 2008. My BP averaged around 144/95 before taking the med, now averages about 122/78. The problem i am having is this constant "tickle" in my throat which has been giving me coughing fits. When i breathe in deep i can feel a sensation to cough, sometimes my throat feels tight and sore, the first time i felt this was December 2008 and the doctor said it was a touch of post nasal drip and this was before i have read stuff on this board. Has anyone else experienced this kind of sensation in the throat? sometimes when i talk i even have to cough, i experimented once and did not take my dose and it seemed my throat felt better but then noticed my bp went right back up, i guess i better tell the doctor to get me off of this drug. She did tell me that the cough was part of the side effect. thanks and hope someone answers this.

Hi, about seven years ago I complained to my doctor of noticing a little thinning at the top of my head. They referred me to a dermatologist who thought it was female hair pattern loss. It was minimal and he said that he rarely saw it get much worse in women. He suggested minoxidil. A year later, I relocated and the doctors at the health clinic noticed my blood pressure was slightly elevated. They put me on HCTZ. I am into healthy organic eating and was disturbed by the need to be on medication. They said HCTZ was a mild diuretic and never mentioned that hair loss is associated with it. After five years on HCTZ my hair loss is severe. I have lost half my hair and it is dry and brittle, no matter what styling products I use. I had long beautiful thick glossy natural hair, but the texture of my hair has totally changed. A few days ago, frustrated by the continual hair loss, I began searching for my own answers. In my first web search, I pulled up many connections to HCTZ and hair loss, including this site. As others have said, I am mad at myself for not taking my health care into my own hands sooner. I have stopped HCTZ and my blood pressure is being controlled by diet, exercise, and drinking plenty of water. What I would like to know-- is HCTZ hair loss reversible? Are there any reputable natural solutions to hair regrowth. (And minoxidil has been disappointing.) Thanks for your comments. They have helped immensely. GG.

I had been taking this for years and about three-four yrs ago they changed generic. I had horrible stomach and abdominal problems.Not diarrhea or constipation but pain swelling bloating and feeling a lump in ab. Went to cts, ultrasounds, 3 colonoscopies,endoscopy, pill camera,I went through 3 primary care doctors. Had emergency hosp.visits. Doctors.started getting to think I was crazy That made me depressed to the point I didn"t want to see anyone or go any where. Not one Dr. suggested it could be one of my meds. By accident over the Christmas holidays I ran out of my lisinopril hctz. within 3 days I felt normal again Swelling in ab stopped and most of pain.ever gonna get near that poison again.# months later Im doing a lot better I actually feel good .Its amazing I think it caused me a rare reaction called intestinal angioedema .That is basically hives on your insides. Could be dangerous if esophogeous is involved I lucked out.I did have wheezing and shortness in breathing .People Beware Its a dangerous drug.

Update from previous post.One month since I came off lisinorpil. 40 mg per day. I halved my dosage every three days until I stopped. Coming off the drug was worse than quitting smoking. I stopped smoking 3 years ago, not one puff since.
Lets review results.
Heart palpitations - gone
abdominal pain - gone
Stamina - returned
Brain function - returned
running nose - gone
allergy symptoms - gone
erectile dysfunction - gone
starting to lose the weight, 4 years ago 185, max 224 on nov 2008, now 215
normal bowel movements - returned
I actually feel like I remember. I see a chiropractor once a month and went yesterday. She asked me what I was doing differently from my last appointment. Looked like I had lost weight, coloring better, spark in step and face. whole body was less tense. Listen to your body, it will tell you when somethings not right. The only thing I have changed is stopped taking lisinopril. I still take 25mg of hctz. BP is stable. today 130/79.
My ex MD is still puzzled by the results.

Someone, please tell me how long this coughing will last! I took Lisinopril for 4 weeks. During that time I had many of the same symptoms that I'm reading now, but didn't realize what was causing them. But after 3 weeks of a constant dry cough that led to gagging more often than not and cough attacks every hour on the hour even at night, I turned to the Internet to research tickling coughs. I too was sure I had throat cancer after experiencing lung cancer just a year ago. After reading all of these experiences from all of the people on this site, I was relieved yet furious. I called to inform my doctor of the side effect of the coughing that was keeping me from going anywhere but work (I'm a teacher so you can imagine how difficult that is). I was consuming 10 - 15 cough drops a day and night which was not helping my weight issue. She prescribed Toprol which I researched and read that it should not be taken if you have had a history of lung issues. Needless to say, I'm not going to take that either. My blood pressure is pre-hypertension so I believe I can control that myself with exercise and diet. It's been 5 days since I stopped taking the Lisinopril and the coughing has not subsided at all. I was up every hour on the hour last night and that was with taking a sleep aid.

I first started Lisinopril hctz about 3 years ago. Within the first day I had hives, a rash, itchy skin and RED RED face. Dr says it will go away. So I keep taking it. Fast forward a month and I start coughing, coughing at night so bad my husband can't sleep. It's so bad I feel like I'm choking and cough so much I am almost throwing up from the dryness and my throat being so constricted. During that time, I also start having some big whopping sinus pain and pressure. Felt like there was a tennis ball in my sinuses. Big time pain, headache. Dr says nothing wrong, just some allergies. I start taking Benadryl at night to sleep, to help with the itching, wheezing, coughing. It seems to help a bit. So I deal with all this. ALong with the coughing at times I am having trouble getting in air. Almost like I have to force it in. Not sure if it's my throat, sinuses or my chest. Next comes, some bass drum booming of my heart. I think it's so loud in my chest and my ears that others can hear it. This still happens on occasion. At times my legs feel like tree trunks or cement and I just don't have the energy to do anything. My hair started falling out in GOBS. I go to derm doctor, they say it's stress. It'll go away. Next I have kidney pain.... this goes on for a few months... come to find out I have a stone. But I never had any kidney problems before. Doctor's say it could be from the hctz and my kidneys having to work harder, but they were speculating. GP says keep taking Lisinopril hctz the benefits outweigh the side effects. I asked him if he has ever had a kidney stone he says no. I keep taking it. Leg cramps come next, bad cramps. I go to dr and he says it's my potassium, the hctz has depleted the potassium in my body and need to start on some big styrofoam potassium pills. All this goes on for almost two years. Fast forward to now. I'm still beat red in the face (and cannot handle the sun), coughing, sinuses full, itchy and bass drum beating (on occasion), heart flutters (on occasion).... four days ago I almost fainted because I was so dizzy within two hours of taking my pills in the morning. I am by no means able to sit on my butt and do nothing because of all these side effects. I have a farm to run, horses to feed and ride, hay to bale and put up, and I'm ready to get my body safe enough to start trying to get pregnant. I start doing research and find Lisinopril to be UNSAFE for a fetus. I start to think, well if it is unsafe for a fetus why is it safe for me? So then I googled side effects of Lisinopril and it brought me here. Thank God, I have a GP appointment tomorrow. I'm taking control back of my own body. I've had enough....

I was on Diovan HCTZ for a number of years for my high blood pressure. It worked pretty well, keeping my b/p to around 130/80, it had been 158/90. The Diovan, since no generic is available, is expensive but I did have a prescription plan at the time. I recently retired and asked my doctor to switch me over to a generic medication to cut my cost. He put me on lisinopril hctz 20/12.5mg. I took it once a day and had great results with lowering my blood pressure. No side effects until the third month, I then began to notice a great deal of hair loss. Since I am 58, 15 years post menopausal, dye my hair, I thought maybe it was the dye (unusual since I have been using the same product for years). I started washing my hair every other day instead of daily. This did not help, I still had to vacumm my bathroom floor daily. At this point I looked up on the internet and found this site about the connection of lisinopril and hair loss. Being an RN I decided to cut the pills in half for a week and see what happened. Sure enough, my hair loss stopped. I then went to my doctor equipt with this information. I am now on HCTZ 25mg daily and taking my blood pressure 2x/day. My b/p stays around 140/80. I know I have to go back to the doctor next week to discuss what to do next because this is not working. Luckily I HAD very thick hair otherwise I would be bald. Does the hair grow back? Does anyone have any other medication they can suggest that does not have this side effect? Too bad, I was doing so good on the lisinopril with my b/p and it did not make me tired like the diovan did.

I have been taking lisinopril/hctz for about 10 months, 4 months ago the hctz was raised to 25 mg and the lisinopril stayed at 10mg. I started developing what appeared to be food allergies. After eating certain foods (like chili, barbecue sauce and seasoned salt) i would start to itch anywhere there is tight clothing, always within 1 hour. Then within 3-4 more hours my whole body would be covered in really large hives. After overdosing on benadryl for about 24 hours the hives would subside but leave big purple skin bruises. My doctor thinks that the lisinopril is the culprit and has changed me to benicar.